Musician Dan (Sid Lucero) and his girlfriend bank manager Trina (Cindy Miranda) were on their way to visit Dan's hometown town of Morinda. However, there was a roadblock on the main highway because of a military operation, so they were forced to take a long detour. Unfortunately, their car broke down on a remote road where there was no phone signal. Desperate, they asked help from a man who walked out from the woods.
The man, Gemo (John Arcilla), was a former military man who was now the caretaker of the private property where Dan's car broke down. He brought them to his house where he stayed with his wife Lala (Nathalie Hart) who nervously followed his every command. Gemo radioed for help, but there was no mechanic coming right away. Upon conversation over dinner, Gemo reacted oddly upon hearing Dan's full name.
Even without saying anything, John Arcilla's Gemo automatically evoked a palpable sense of danger the very first time he appeared onscreen carrying a dead animal on his shoulders. As Dan, Sid Lucero gave a very natural portrayal of a hot-headed slacker who was wont to take shortcuts. As Trina, Cindy Miranda, who had worked with Fajardo before in the sexy drama "Nerisa" (2021), further proved that she had acting talent to match her pretty face and body.
As seen in the trailer, there were sex scenes here but they were actually not needed in the story. I suspect they could even just be shoehorned in so it would fit into the successful Vivamax "sex-sells" formula. To Fajardo's credit, these sex scenes of Lucero and Miranda, who both photographed very well in black and white, were actually very well-blocked and edited to look realistically sensual without being too blatant or sleazy.
Director Law Fajardo told this suspenseful story (with screenplay by his "Mahjong Nights" collaborator Byron Bryant) in elegant black and white, with director of photography Joshua A. Reyles. Scenes in dark cramped places or those shrouded with fog were lit so well that we can always see what was going on. Those dramatic long range shots and overhead drone shots had excellent cinematic aesthetic sense. 7/10.
The script has a different ending. Very gritty and violent: the terrifying chase between Trina and Gemo ends in the muddy pig pen at the backyard of the house, with pigs and ducks and all. Cornered, Trina is helped out by Lala, hitting Gemo with a shovel (he was already groggy at this point because of a knife wound on the head). So there's blood, mud and rain. Trina desperately defends herself with shovel, eventually striking Gemo hard on the face. Gemo dies like a wretched animal twitching, agonizing in the mud. A terrifying finale... (Why would a very calculating cold-blooded killer like Gemo suddenly blow his head off, when he could easily kill Trina and throw her body in the pit?) The "kontrabida" blowing his head off is the ending in Mahjong Nights script, with Leo, who has lost it, blowing his head off... (Anyway. How could someone rewrite when he doesn't even read and write?)
ReplyDeleteDan is not a musician in the original script (it's irrelevant to make him such, if not wrong, because musicians generally don't behave that way, they are mostly laid back, broadminded, mature, artistic people). In the script, Dan is into sports. The "macho" type who must "win" any game. Jobless, thus insecure, the insecurity the cause of his misbehavior. A feeling "big shot", in other words. The woman Trina is really the hero in the script. With her eventually killing Gemo in self-defense, it put a stamp on her courage and heroism under duress. A fighter, not a victim (just like Alexa in Mahjong Nights script, a girl with grit, not a cry-baby). It's a major revision not well thought out.. Also, cold-blooded killer Gemo singing Kundiman, playing the guitar at night is irrelevant in the story, if not again wrong. It's cheap romanticism. Hardened killers in the hide don't make unnecessary noises... Gemo kills with his old Scout Ranger bolo. That's his instrument. A phallic symbol. It's utterly terrifying to be hacked to death by bolo than to be shot by gun, where you'd just go numb or lose consciousness and die instantly if fatal. Death by bolo is something, the horrific pain, the open slashes, the blood all over. That kind of gripping terror disappeared in the movie... Plus, the black & white (so easy nowadays to do) loses a lot of the realism and immediacy, which is very important to have for this kind of film, where color is part of the mood and storytelling, but you got to have excellent imagination for color, and good color takes a lot of work - PD, cinematography, wardrobe, make-up, grading, etc. It was made b&w to make it a "noir" film. Well, it's far from what a noir film is. B&W automatically distances the viewer, disengaging them, whereas good color can really bring them into the scene and feel the thrill... Woody Allen comes to mind: "The best version of the film is the script". In this case, probably true. Anyway. Thanks, Fred. Keep on!
DeleteThank you sir for sharing your original vision of the story as you've intended in the script you wrote. It is very interesting to read these things and compare them with what actually made the final cut of the film.
ReplyDeleteSa original script, walang abduction kay Trina. Mula sa part na yon, kabalbalan at kabobohan at kahunghangan na lang ng direktor yon, hanggang dulo. Trying hard maging writer. Nagpapaka "lalim" yung direktor, para hindi mahalata na walang laman talaga kukote nya. Non-reader yung tao. What can you really expect?
DeleteSi Trina ang bida sa original script. Sa final version ni Fajardo, naging biktima na lang si Trina all the way - by two toxic masculine figures (favorite of Fajardo ang toxic masculines, even as early as Kultado and Amok - may fascination siya sa mga mental na lalaki. Mas toxic at mas mentallly deranged, mas type nya. Pa-"Dark" epek). A macho macho man like himself probably couldn't accept the woman as hero. Never.
DeleteYung nag-sex sina Dan & Trina sa tabing-dagat in broad-day light, wala sa original script. Another idiotic idea ng direktor yon. Sa totoong buhay, hindi ginagawa yon ng matinong babae. Tanga yung direktor eh. Walang alam sa buhay. Spoiled brat. Nagkalat ang mga idiotic ideas nya sa mga movies nya, hanggang 'X Deal 2' and 'Scorpio Nights 3'. Malala.
Deletejust curios about the place.. do you know the exact location? ...seems very familiar during our road trip going back to cebu.
ReplyDeleteCredited ako sa screenplay, but mine is just the first half (which is cannibalized already). The rest are all Fajardo's ideas - the "mental" story of Gemo (Arcilla) - the very dragging second half. Major sablay! Akala ni Law, maganda yung naisip niya. Naging kuwentong bisaya yung Reroute. Yung Mahjong Nights naging kuwentong bisaya din. Somebody must tell him to his face he must stop meddling with good scripts. The result of his meddling is never good.
ReplyDelete